


Illumination

by BrunetteBookworm



Series: Tumblr ficlet prompts [2]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Sherlock Is A Bit Not Good, Sickfic, but it all works out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-05
Updated: 2015-03-05
Packaged: 2018-03-16 10:50:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3485471
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrunetteBookworm/pseuds/BrunetteBookworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ash  wanted: Johnlock where john is ill and sherlock tries all sorts of ways to cheer him up :D</p>
            </blockquote>





	Illumination

It’s a well-known fact that doctors make the worst patients, and John Watson is no exception. He’d be fine if he was _very_ ill or if he only had light sniffles, but this heavy cold with its aches and chills and his nose running like a tap was _hell_. John did not expect that this hell would be in anyway alleviated by his troublesome partner, one Mr Sherlock Holmes. In this instance, John was both right…and completely wrong.

*

Sherlock was at a loss. Clearly John was miserable being sick, and John being miserable was _not_ something that Sherlock took lightly. It was a situation that needed to be fixed - and quickly. The problem was _how_. When was John most cheerful? What did he enjoy? What could Sherlock _do_ to help him? And then it hit him – a case!

*

“John! JOHN! We have a case!” Sherlock yelled, as he burst into their bedroom, fully expecting John to sit up, eyes wide with excitement. Instead, he groaned, rolled over and pulled a pillow up over his ears.  
  
“John, didn’t you hear me? We have a _new_ client!” Sherlock tried again, as he sat down on the bed. John rolled back over to look at him, and took a deep sniff.  
  
“Sherlock. Look at me. Do I look like I want to go out on a case? I’m tried. Everything _hurts_ and I can’t breathe properly. I just. Want. To sleep.”

*

The first attempt at cheering up John had been a miserable failure, which in hindsight wasn’t exactly a surprise. Sure, John liked going out on cases with him (especially when they were short, interesting and involved a chase or two) but they generally left him feeling exhausted. As John was _already_ exhausted, a case was definitely not the best course of action. Stupid. What John needed, at this moment, was a cure.

*

“John, John! Wake up! I’ve got 10 different types of tissues, six lozenges and three kinds of chest rub to try on you.” Sherlock announced as he burst through the door of their bedroom for the second time that day, arms laden with shopping bags.  
  
“What opportunity for an experiment! I’ve been meaning to test the efficacy of different over the counter aides for a while now, and I think it could be very _interesting_ to see what effect, if any these prod…”

Sherlock stopped midsentence. The glare he was receiving now from one Capt. John Watson (formerly of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers) was nothing short of dire.  
  
“Ah. I’ll just…go, then?”  
“Please.”

*

John being sick wasn’t easy on either of them. Sherlock was not a nurturing person generally, but he would do anything to make John feel better (if he could just find the right thing). He also knew that John didn’t cope with being basically bedridden, but well enough to think clearly – it reminded him too much of being shot. There had to be some way for John to both get rest and be distracted…and finally, after much thought, Sherlock had found the solution.

*

John padded out of the bedroom rubbing his eyes. He hadn’t slept nearly as well as he’d wanted to that afternoon because of how loud Sherlock was being with the scraping of furniture and the Hoover and several very loud curse words. Plus, he couldn’t get the thought of how _useless_ he felt out of his head. As he entered the lounge room, he stopped dead. It was _clean_. And not just kind of clean, but definitely totally 100% spotless, as was the kitchen. The TV had been brought around to the couch, which was now covered in pillows and blankets. Off to the side, near the window, Sherlock was playing his violin softly – a new composition, full of brightness and warmth that John was enjoying very much.  
  
“What’s all this, then? Don’t tell me you actually cleaned?” John asked, surprise and warmth in his voice. Sherlock continued to the end of his composition, and turned to face him.  
  
“I’ve ordered Chinese – long soup for you.  I’ve got a selection of Bond films to watch. Not that you have to.” Sherlock said shortly, eyes not quite meeting John’s.  
  
“You’ve been trying to cheer me up all day, haven’t you?”  
“Well, wasn’t it obvious?”  
“Not to me!”  
“You need rest, John. And to be taken care of.”  
“I don’t…”  
“John, don’t argue with me.  Come and sit down. The food has just arrived”.

*

As it transpired, the evening was exactly what John needed to cheer up. Though he would still be sick for another week, he never hit that miserable low again. Whenever he appeared to be getting grumpy, Sherlock would stand at the doorway and play that new composition, now entitled _Illumination_.

**Author's Note:**

> Did you like this? Send me a fluff prompt via [my tumblr](http://221--bee.tumblr.com/ask)


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